Led module

ABSTRACT

An LED module includes: an LED chip; and a resin case having a reflective surface surrounding the LED chip. An area contact inhibitor to inhibit area contact with an adjacent LED module is formed on an outer surface of the resin case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application Nos. 2012-002257, filed on Jan. 10, 2012,and 2012-274845, filed on Dec. 17, 2012, the entire contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an LED module including an LED chip asa light source.

BACKGROUND

FIG. 17 shows one example of a conventional LED module. An LED module900 as shown in FIG. 17 includes an LED chip 902 mounted on a substrate901. The LED chip 902 is surrounded by a frame-like reflector 905. Aspace surrounded by the reflector 905 is filled with a sealing resin906. The LED chip 902 includes a sub-mount substrate 903 made of Si anda semiconductor layer 904 stacked on the sub-mount substrate 903. Thesemiconductor layer 904 makes electrical conduction with the substrate901 via the sub-mount substrate 903. The LED module 900 has asubstantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole.

In some cases, a plurality of LED modules 900, each of which isconfigured above, may be used under a state where they are aligned by,for example, a parts feeder. The parts feeder is used to sequentiallytransport the plurality of LED modules 900 maintained in a container ina random manner, with them aligned in a row. Each LED module 900 hassubstantially a rectangular parallelepiped shape and a surface of thereflector 905 has a uniform planar shape. Accordingly, in the containerof the parts feeder, the surface of the reflector 905 has a relativelylarge area and hence is likely to contact a surface of a reflector 905of another LED module 900. The reflector 905 is made of, for example, arelatively soft resin having a relatively high adhesive property.Accordingly, when the reflector 905 is made of such a soft resin,surfaces of the reflectors 905 of the plurality of LED modules 900 inthe parts feeder adhere to each other, which makes it difficult totransport the LED modules to the next process.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of an LED modulewhich is capable of restraining surfaces of LED modules from beingadhered to each other when a parts feeder is used.

According to some embodiments, an LED module is provided including: anLED chip; and a resin case having a reflective surface formed on aninner side of the resin case to surround the LED chip, wherein an areacontact inhibitor to inhibit area contact with an adjacent LED module isformed on an outer surface of the resin case.

The resin case may be made of a resin material whose Shore hardness is50 or less.

The resin case is made of a silicon resin or a resin containing asilicon resin as a main ingredient.

In some embodiments, the LED module further includes a mounting memberhaving a mounting surface on which the LED chip is mounted.

In some embodiments, the resin case is configured to include aframe-like part which has the reflective surface formed on the innerside of the resin case and projects away from the mounting surface.

In some embodiments, the area contact inhibitor is formed on at least aportion of an outer surface of the frame-like part.

The area contact inhibitor formed on the outer surface of the frame-likepart may be configured to include a first planar portion and a secondplanar portion which is different from the first planar portion and islocated farther from the mounting member than the first planar portion.

A step may be formed between the first planar portion and the secondplanar portion, such that one end of the step close to the first planarportion is located farther from the LED chip than the other end close tothe second planar portion.

Preferably, the first and second planar portions have different angleswith respect to a normal direction of the mounting surface.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first and second planarportions is inclined to be closer to the LED chip in a directionperpendicular to the normal direction of the mounting surface as itbecomes farther from the mounting surface in the normal direction.

In some embodiments, a first angle between the first planar portion andthe mounting surface is smaller than a second angle between the secondplanar portion and the mounting surface.

The area contact inhibitor formed on the outer surface of the frame-likepart may have a curved shape.

In some embodiments, the area contact inhibitor formed on the outersurface of the frame-like part has at least one band-like ridge.

The band-like ridge may extend away from the mounting surface.

In some embodiments, the resin case has a square shape when viewed fromthe normal direction of the mounting surface and the area contactinhibitor is formed on all outer surfaces of the resin case.

The area contact inhibitor may be configured to include a concave-convexshape.

In some embodiments, the mounting member may be constituted by a metallead having the mounting surface.

In some embodiments, the resin case may be configured to include a basepart which is adjacent to an opposite side to the mounting surface withrespect to the lead and is integrated with the frame-like part.

These and other features of the present disclosure will be more apparentfrom the following description with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an LED module according to a firstembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the LED module of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing main parts of the LEDmodule of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an LED module according to a secondembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the LED module of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing main parts of the LEDmodule of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an LED module according to a thirdembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the LED module of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an LED module according to afourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the LED module of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional view showing main parts of the LEDmodule of FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing an LED module according to a fifthembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing one example of a conventional LEDmodule.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the followingdetailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a thorough understanding of the present invention(s).However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe present invention(s) may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems,and components have not been described in detail so as not tounnecessarily obscure aspects of the various embodiments.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be now described indetail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show an LED module 101 based on a first embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The LED module 101 includes metallic leads 310 and320, an LED chip 200, two wires 500, a resin case 600 and a sealingresin 700. For the purpose of easy understanding, the sealing resin 700is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The leads 310 and 320 are formed by carrying out a punching process anda bending process for a plate made of, for example, Cu or Cu alloy. Thelead 310 includes a bonding part 311, a bypass part 312 and a mountingterminal 313. The LED chip is bonded to the bonding part 311. The topsurface of the bonding part 311 corresponds to a mounting surface 311 aon which the LED chip 200 is mounted. The lead 310 may correspond to amounting member. The lead 320 includes a bonding part 321, a bypass part322 and a mounting terminal 323. The bonding part 311 and the mountingterminal 313 are substantially in parallel and are interconnected by thebypass part 312. The bonding part 321 and the mounting terminal 323 aresubstantially in parallel and are interconnected by the bypass part 312.The mounting terminals 313 and 323 are used to mount the LED module 101on, for example, a circuit board (not shown). The LED module 101 asconfigured above forms a so-called top-view type LED module which emitslight in an upward direction as shown in FIG. 3 when it is mounted onthe circuit board that may be located under the LED module 101 as shownin FIG. 3.

The LED chip 200 has a structure having a sub-mount substrate 210 madeof Si and a semiconductor layer 220 including an n type semiconductorlayer made of, for example, GaN, an active layer and a p typesemiconductor layer stacked in this order, and emits blue light, forexample. As shown in FIG. 4, two electrode pads 230 are formed in thesemiconductor layer 220 at a side of the sub-mount substrate 210. Theseelectrode pads 230 are bonded to a wiring pattern (not shown) formed onthe sub-mount substrate 210 by means of an insulating paste 231. Thesub-mount substrate 210 is bonded to the bonding part 311 by means of aninsulating paste 251. Two electrodes (not shown) are formed on thesub-mount substrate 210. One end of two wires 500 are bonded to theseelectrodes, respectively, which forms a so-called two-wire type LED chip200. The other end of one of the wires 500 is bonded to the bonding part311 and the other end of the other of the wires 500 is bonded to thebonding part 321.

The resin case 600 is made of, for example, a white resin and includes aframe-like part 610 and a base part 620. The frame-like part 610projects from the base part 620 in a normal direction of the mountingsurface 311 a of the lead 310. A reflective surface 601 is formed on aninner side of the frame-like part 610. The reflective surface 601surrounds the LED chip 200. In this embodiment, the reflective surface601 has a partial-conical shape and is inclined to become farther fromthe LED chip 200 in a direction perpendicular to the normal direction ofthe mounting surface 311 a as it becomes farther from the mountingsurface 311 a in the normal direction. The frame-like part 610 havingthe reflective surface 601 plays a role as a reflector.

An outer side of the frame-like part 610 has substantially a sphericalshape when viewed from a top view of the LED module 101. The outer sideof the frame-like part 610 includes planar portions 611 and 612. Theplanar portion 611 corresponds to a first planar portion and the planarportion 612 corresponds to a second planar portion. The planar portion611 is located close to the leads 310 and 320 and the planar portion 612is located farther from the leads 310 and 320 than the planar portion611. In this embodiment, the planar portions 611 and 612 follow thenormal direction of the mounting surface 311 a and a step 613 is formedbetween the planar portion 611 and the planar portion 612. The planarportion 611 and the planar portion 612 are connected through the step613. The step 613 is formed such that one end close to the planarportion 611 is located farther from the LED chip 200 than the other endclose to the planar portion 612 in a direction perpendicular to thenormal direction of the mounting surface 311 a. Accordingly, the planarportion 611 is located farther from the LED chip 200 than the planarportion 612. As described above, the configuration including the planarportions 611 and 612 and the step 613 at the outer side of theframe-like part 610 corresponds to one example of an area contactinhibitor. In this embodiment, the planar portions 611 and 612 as thearea surface inhibitors are formed in all of the outer sides of theresin case 600.

The base part 620 is connected to a lower portion of the frame-like part610 and is formed in such a manner that it is embraced by the leads 310and 320. The resin case 600 is made of a relatively soft resin materialwhose Shore D hardness (hardness measured using a type D durometer) is50 or less, for example. The resin case 600 is made of, for example, asilicon resin or a mixture of silicon resin and epoxy resin (in themixture, the silicon resin is contained as a main ingredient and itscontent is, for example, 90% or more).

The sealing resin 700 covers the LED chip 200 and fills a spacesurrounded by the reflective surface 601. The sealing resin 700 is madeof a mixture of, for example, transparent epoxy resin and fluorescentmaterial. The fluorescent material emits yellow light, for example, whenit is excited by blue light emitted from the semiconductor layer 220 ofthe LED chip 200. The LED module 101 emits white light by mixing theblue light and the yellow light. Another example of the fluorescentmaterial may include a material emitting red light or green light whenit excited by the blue light.

A method of manufacturing the LED module 101 will be now described byway of one example. First, the semiconductor layer 220 is bonded to thesub-mount substrate 210. Subsequently, the resin case 600 is formed inthe leads 310 and 320. Portions of the leads 310 and 320 (or portions ofthe bonding parts 311 and 321) are buried in the resin case 600 and suchlead 310 and resin case 600 may be obtained by an insert molding methodusing a mold. Subsequently, the LED chip 200 is mounted on the mountingsurface 311 a of the lead 310 (or the bonding part 311). Subsequently,the wires 500 are bonded to the LED chip 200. Then, the LED module 101is completed by forming the sealing resin 700.

An operation of the LED module 101 will be described below.

In the LED module 101 of this embodiment, the outer side of theframe-like part 610 of the resin case 600 has a configuration includingthe planar portions 611 and 612 and the step 613, i.e., has a shapedifferent from a uniform planar shape. The outer side of the frame-likepart 610 occupies much of the exposed surface of the resin case 600.This configuration of the outer side of the frame-like part 610restrains the outer side of the frame-like part 610 from making areacontact with a surface of an adjacent LED module 101, for example if aparts feeder is used for the LED module 101. In other words, theconfiguration of the outer side of the frame-like part 610 may reduce acontact area of the frame-like part 610 that makes contact with thesurface of the adjacent LED module 101. Accordingly, with the LED module101 of this embodiment, it is possible to restrain surfaces of aplurality of LED modules 101 from being adhered to each other when aparts feeder is used.

The resin case 600 is made of the relatively soft resin whose Shore Dhardness is 50 or less, as described above, and accordingly, surfaces ofresin cases 600 can be easily adhered to each other as compared to whenthe resin case 600 is made of a hard resin material. Since the planarportions 611 and 612 and the step 613 that act as area contactinhibitors are formed in the outer side of the frame-like part 610occupying much of the surface of the resin case 600, it is possible torestrain the LED modules 101 from being adhered to each other.

In the LED module 101, since the resin case 600 may be sometimes heatedat a high temperature by heat emitted from the LED chip 200, the resincase 600 is made of a silicon resin or a resin material which mainlyconsists of a silicon resin. Since a silicon resin has a thermosettingproperty and a high heat-resistance, the resin case 600 made of such amaterial is suitable to increase durability of the LED module 101. Inaddition, portions of the metal leads 310 and 320 buried in the resincase 600 have a relatively high thermal conductivity. Accordingly, theheat emitted from the LED chip 200 can be more efficiently dissipatedout of the LED module 101. This is beneficial for improvement of thedurability of the LED module 101.

The planar portions 611 and 612 and the step 613 formed in the outerside of the frame-like part 610 of the resin case 600 are displaced tobecome closer to the LED chip 200 in a direction perpendicular to thenormal direction of the mounting surface 311 a as they become fartherfrom the mounting surface 311 a in the normal direction as a whole. Withthis configuration, in forming the resin case 600 using a mold, aportion corresponding to the frame-like part 610 can be easily drawn outof the mold that is divided into two parts in the vertical direction.

FIGS. 5 to 15 show other embodiments of the present disclosure. In thesefigures, the same or similar elements as the first embodiment aredenoted by the same reference numerals as the first embodiment.

FIGS. 5 to 8 show an LED module 102 according to a second embodiment.The LED module 102 of this embodiment has the same configuration as theabove-described LED module 101 except for a configuration of the LEDchip 200 and a configuration of the frame-like part 610 in the resincase 600.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, only one wire 500 isbonded to the sub-mount substrate 210 of the LED chip 200, i.e., the LEDchip 200 is configured as a so-called one-wire type. The wire 500 isconnected to the bonding part 321. An electrode (not shown) is formed inthe bottom of the sub-mount substrate 210. This electrode isconductively bonded to the bonding part 311 by a conductive paste 252while making electrical conduction with one electrode pad 230 via anelectrical conduction path (not shown) formed on the sub-mount substrate210.

As shown in FIG. 7, the outer side of the frame-like part 610 of theresin case 600 includes the planar portions 611 and 612 but has no stepformed between the planar portion 611 and the planar portion 612, unlikethe first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the planar portion 611and the planar portion 612 are connected to each other at a bentportion. The planar portion 611 is inclined to be closer to the LED chip200 in a direction perpendicular to the normal direction of the mountingsurface 311 a as it becomes farther from the mounting surface 311 a inthe normal direction. The planar portion 612 extends in the normaldirection of the mounting surface 311 a. An angle α between the planarportion 611 and the mounting surface 311 a is set to be smaller than anangle β between the planar portion 612 and the mounting surface 311 a.

In the LED module 102 of this embodiment, the outer side of theframe-like part 610 of the resin case 600 has a configuration includingthe planar portions 611 and 612, i.e., has a shape different from auniform planar shape. This restrains the outer side (the planar portions611 and 612) of the frame-like part 610 from making area contact with asurface of an adjacent LED module 102, for example if a parts feeder isused for the LED module 102. In addition, the angle a between the planarportion 611 and the mounting surface 311 a is smaller than the angle βbetween the planar portion 612 and the mounting surface 311 a.Accordingly, the outer side of the frame-like part 610 is recessedlaterally toward the center of the LED module 102, which makes itdifficult to make area contact with the surface of the adjacent LEDmodule 102.

The planar portions 611 and 612 formed in the outer side of theframe-like part 610 are displaced to become closer to the LED chip 200in a direction perpendicular to the normal direction of the mountingsurface 311 a as they become farther from the mounting surface 311 a inthe normal direction as a whole. With this configuration, in forming theresin case 600 using a mold, a portion corresponding to the frame-likepart 610 can be easily drawn out of the mold that is divided into twoparts in the vertical direction.

As a modification of this embodiment, the planar portion 611 may extendin the normal direction of the mounting surface 311 a and the planarportion 612 may be inclined to be closer to the LED chip 200 in adirection perpendicular to the normal direction of the mounting surface311 a as it becomes farther from the mounting surface 311 a in thenormal direction. Alternatively, both of the planar portions 611 and 612may be inclined with respect to the normal direction of the mountingsurface 311 a.

FIGS. 9 to 11 show an LED module 103 according to a third embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The LED module 103 of the third embodiment hasthe same configuration as the above-described LED module 101 except forthe inclusion of leads 330 and 340 and the configuration of the resincase 600.

The leads 330 and 340 are formed by performing a punching process for aplate made of metal such as, for example, Cu, an alloy of Cu or thelike. A resin 350 is filled between the leads 330 and 340. The LED chip200 is mounted on a top surface (a mounting surface 330 a) of the lead330. The lead 330 corresponds to a mounting member recited in thepresent disclosure. Surfaces of the leads 330 and 340 in an oppositeside to the top surface on which the LED chip 200 is mounted serve asmounting terminals 331 and 341. The mounting terminals 331 and 341 areused to mount the LED module 103 on, for example, a circuit board (notshown). The LED chip 200 of this embodiment is configured as thetwo-wire type shown in FIG. 4. One of the two wires 500 is bonded to thetop of the lead 330 and the other is bonded to the top of the lead 340.

The resin case 600 is constituted by only a portion corresponding to theframe-like part 610, unlike the first and second embodiments. Aplurality of band-like ridges 602 is formed on an outer side of theresin case 600. The band-like ridges 602 extend in the normal directionof the mounting surface 330 a and have a square section. In the thirdembodiment, the band-like ridges 602 are adjacent to each other. Inaddition, grooves 603 having a square section are formed between theadjacent band-like ridges 602, respectively. These grooves 603 extend inthe normal direction of the mounting surface 330 a.

In the LED module 103 of the third embodiment, an outer side of theframe-like part 610 of the resin case 600 has a concave-convex shapehaving a plurality of band-like ridges 602 and grooves 603, instead of auniform planar shape. This restrains the outer side of the resin case600 from making area contact with a surface of an adjacent LED module103 if a parts feeder is used for the LED module 103. In addition, sincethe band-like ridges 602 extend away from the mounting surface 330 a, informing the resin case 600 using a mold, the resin case 600 can beeasily drawn out of the mold that is divided into two parts in thevertical direction.

FIGS. 12 to 15 show an LED module 104 according to a fourth embodimentof the present disclosure. The LED module 104 of the fourth embodimenthas the same configuration as the above-described LED module 101 exceptfor the inclusion of a substrate 400 and the configuration of the resincase 600.

The substrate 400 includes a base material 410 and a wiring pattern 420formed on the base material 410. The base material 410 has a squareshape and is made of, for example, glass epoxy resin. The wiring pattern420 is made of metal such as, for example, Cu, Ag or the like andincludes bonding portions 421 and 422, bypass portions 423 and 424 andmounting terminals 425 and 426. The bonding portions 421 and 422 areformed on a top surface (a mounting surface 410 a) of the base material410. The wiring pattern 420 corresponds to a mounting member recited inthe present disclosure. The bypass portions 423 and 424 are connected tothe bonding portions 421 and 422 and are formed in both sides of thebase material 410. The mounting terminals 425 and 426 are formed on abottom of the base material 410 and are connected to the bypass portions423 and 424. The mounting terminals 425 and 426 are used to mount theLED module 104 on, for example, a circuit board (not shown).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, two electrode pads 232 areformed on a bottom of the sub-mount substrate 210 of the LED chip 200.These electrode pads 232 allows for electrical conduction with the twoelectrode pads 230 via an electrical conduction path (not shown) formedin the sub-mount substrate 210. The two electrode pads 232 areconductively connected to the bonding portions 421 and 422 via theconductive paste 252. The LED chip 200 as configured above is called a“flip-chip type.”

The resin case 600 is constituted by only a portion corresponding to theframe-like part 610, unlike the first to fourth embodiments. An outerside 604 of the resin case 600 has a vertical concave-curved shape. Theouter side 604 is displaced to become closer to the LED chip 200 in adirection perpendicular to the normal direction of the mounting surface410 a as it becomes farther from the mounting surface 410 a in thenormal direction.

In the LED module 104 of the fourth embodiment, the outer side 604 ofthe frame-like part 610 of the resin case 600 has a curved shape,instead of a uniform planar shape. This restrains the outer side 604 ofthe resin case 600 from making area contact with a surface of anadjacent LED module 104 if a parts feeder is used for the LED module104. In addition, the outer side 604 is displaced to become closer tothe LED chip 200 in a direction perpendicular to the normal direction ofthe mounting surface 410 a as it becomes farther from the mountingsurface 410 a in the normal direction. With this configuration, informing the resin case 600 using a mold, the resin case 600 can beeasily drawn out of the mold that is divided into two parts in thevertical direction.

FIG. 16 shows an LED module 105 according to a fifth embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The LED module 105 of the fifth embodiment has thesame configuration as the above-described LED module 101 except forregions where the planar portions 611 and 612 are formed.

In this embodiment, the planar portions 611 and 612 are formed in twoopposite regions of the outer side of the frame-like part 610 of theresin case 600. The regions where the planar portions 611 and 612 areformed are regions where the leads 310 and 320 do not project. On theother hand, regions of the outer side of the frame-like part 610 wherethe leads 310 and 320 project are flat regions having no planar portion611 and 612 (i.e., having no step). With this configuration, in formingthe resin case using a mold, it is possible to relatively simplify ashape of the regions where the leads 310 and 320 project. This providesan advantage of higher manufacturability of the mold and higher reliableformation of the resin case 600. In this manner, the area contactinhibitor recited in the present disclosure may be formed on at least asurface other than the surface from which the leads 310 and 320 project.This is because the surface from which the leads project is less likelyto make an area contact. In addition, the area contact inhibitor canachieve its desired effect even when it is formed on a single surface.

The LED modules of the present disclosure are not limited to theabove-described embodiments and details of components of which may bedesigned in other different ways.

Although it has been illustrated in the third embodiment that the areacontact inhibitor has the plurality of band-like ridges as one exampleof the concave-convex shape, the concave-convex shape is not limitedthereto. For example, the concave-convex shape may have one or moreprojections or concave portions formed on the surface of the resin caseor a sprinkled surface continuously formed on the surface of the resincase. Such a concave-convex shape may be formed, for example byrendering a mold for formation of the resin case into a correspondingshape. In addition, if a sprinkled surface is formed on the surface ofthe resin case, the concave-convex shape may be formed by performing ablast process on the surface of the resin case having a smooth planarshape. However, a concave-convex shape formed by a mold is morepreferable to a concave-convex shape formed by a blast process since thelatter is small and provides less effect of inhabitation of areacontact. In addition, if a plurality of concave-convex portions isformed on one side of a square resin case, it is preferable to arrangethese concave-convex portions over the side uniformly or at equalintervals.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the disclosures. Indeed, the novel methods and apparatusesdescribed herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms;furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form ofthe embodiments described herein may be made without departing from thespirit of the disclosures. The accompanying claims and their equivalentsare intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall withinthe scope and spirit of the disclosures.

What is claimed is:
 1. An LED module comprising: an LED chip; a resincase having a reflective surface formed on an inner side of the resincase to surround the LED chip; and an area contact inhibitor configuredto inhibit area contact with an adjacent LED module formed on an outersurface of the resin case.
 2. The LED module of claim 1, wherein theresin case is made of a resin material whose Shore hardness is 50 orless.
 3. The LED module of claim 2, wherein the resin case is made of asilicon resin or a resin containing a silicon resin as a mainingredient.
 4. The LED module of claim 1, further comprising a mountingmember having a mounting surface on which the LED chip is mounted. 5.The LED module of claim 4, wherein the resin case is configured toinclude a frame-like part which has the reflective surface formed on theinner side of the resin case and projects away from the mountingsurface.
 6. The LED module of claim 5, wherein the area contactinhibitor is formed on at least a portion of an outer surface of theframe-like part.
 7. The LED module of claim 6, wherein the area contactinhibitor formed on the outer surface of the frame-like part isconfigured to include a first planar portion and a second planar portionwhich is different from the first planar portion and is located fartherfrom the mounting member than the first planar portion.
 8. The LEDmodule of claim 7, wherein a step is formed between the first planarportion and the second planar portion, such that one end of the stepclose to the first planar portion is located farther from the LED chipthan the other end close to the second planar portion.
 9. The LED moduleof claim 7, wherein the first and second planar portions have differentangles with respect to a normal direction of the mounting surface. 10.The LED module of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first and secondplanar portions is inclined to be closer to the LED chip in a directionperpendicular to the normal direction of the mounting surface as itbecomes farther from the mounting surface in the normal direction. 11.The LED module of claim 10, wherein a first angle between the firstplanar portion and the mounting surface is smaller than a second anglebetween the second planar portion and the mounting surface.
 12. The LEDmodule of claim 6, wherein the area contact inhibitor formed on theouter surface of the frame-like part has a curved shape.
 13. The LEDmodule of claim 6, wherein the area contact inhibitor formed on theouter surface of the frame-like part has at least one band-like ridge.14. The LED module of claim 13, wherein the band-like ridge extends awayfrom the mounting surface.
 15. The LED module of claim 6, wherein theresin case has a square shape when viewed from a normal direction of themounting surface and the area contact inhibitor is formed on all outersurfaces of the resin case.
 16. The LED module of claim 1, wherein thearea contact inhibitor is configured to include a concave-convex shape.17. The LED module of claim 5, wherein the mounting member isconstituted by a metal lead having the mounting surface.
 18. The LEDmodule of claim 17, wherein the resin case is configured to include abase part which is adjacent to an opposite side to the mounting surfacewith respect to the lead and is integrated with the frame-like part.